The artist who likes to burst people's bubbles
In March 2018, thousands of drivers on a busy Oxfordshire road were met with something unexpected on their daily commute.
Signs on the A4130 near Didcot had been altered - directing traffic not just to Wallingford and Sutton Courtenay, but to Narnia, Middle Earth and Neverland.
The prank quickly gained national attention, drawing delight from locals, praise from the town's mayor and even a telling off from Emily Maitlis on Newsnight.
Eight years on, the anonymous artist behind it - known as @Athirty4 - is staging his first public exhibition in the town where it all began.
"It was like snow falling in July. It was really exciting," said Jessie Dhah from Didcot's Cornerstone Arts Centre, which is now displaying the artist's work.
"It's become part of the town's story and part of our shared folklore."
The road sign intervention marked a turning point for the artist.
"It was the moment I moved from a previous alias to a new one," he said.
"I regenerated like Doctor Who and became this new character - one that was a little bit more daring than previous incarnations."
Since then, @Athirty4 has carried out a series of guerrilla-style artworks across Oxfordshire - altering street signs, installing objects in public spaces and using satire to comment on everyday life.
Now, his work has made its way indoors for the first time in an exhibition titled Bite!, which runs at the arts centre until 25 April.
The exhibition features work spanning photography, sculpture and installation, alongside pieces linked to his public work.
Among the pieces on display is a miniature recreation of the Didcot road sign prank that first brought him widespread attention.
The original installation aimed to challenge Didcot's reputation after it was described by researchers as the "most normal town in England" in 2017.
"I just wanted to turn that on its head," he said.
"This idea that Didcot is normal - it clearly isn't. There isn't such a thing."
At the time, Oxfordshire County Council said that, though the signage was amusing, it was "vandalism" and had the potential to distract drivers.
Turning things on their head has remained a hallmark of @Athirty4's work, whether it involves installing light switches on post boxes or creating garden gnomes supportive of low-traffic neighbourhoods.
"I like to burst people's bubbles," he said.
"They might be walking along the street - doing their shopping or taking the dog for a walk - and suddenly they see something of mine.
"For a second, they're taken out of their world and into something else - questioning what they're looking at.
"It's a bit like a magic trick. It's about surprising people."
Despite his growing profile, @Athirty4 has kept his identity hidden - appearing masked during interviews and avoiding publicity, in the vein of Banksy.
"After the road signs, it got so big it pushed me to be more ambitious," he said.
"I did things that were quite risky and irritated quite a few people, so I thought it was wise not to show my face.
"And in an age of selfies and all that nonsense, I want to be the opposite. I'm not interested in that.
"Plus, I'm not that good looking."
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